Hull for vessels



Jan. 26, 1926. 1,570,961y

S. GOLDEN HULL Fon vEssELs.

Filed may s, 192sv /f /gr Z INVENTOR l h BY Patented Jan. 26, 1926.

UNITED STATES SAMUEL GOLDEN, or' New YORK, N. Y.

HULL FOR VESSELS.

" Application filed May 3, 1923.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL GOLDEN, a citizen oir the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hulls for Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in hulls for vessels, and, more particularly, to double ended vessels such as are adapted to be driven in either direction. A familiar type of this vessel is the well known ferryboat.

An object of theinvention is to provide a hull in which economy oi operation, maneuvering ability, stability, and speed are combined to a very high degree.

Another' object consists in providing a hull which includes an underwater fin or substructure of improved form and proportions; which fin is designed to carry the propelling mechanism and asuitable portion, if not all, of the power mechanism.

Another object consists in providing a hull which has cargo holds of advantageous form and location, so that the vessel is of great carrying capacity for its dimensions and maybe loaded and unloaded with greatv rapidity.

Another object consists in providing a hull which iswell adapted for use in cold climates, where the vessel is liable to encounter ice and be required to break away the same for its passage.`

Another object consists in providing certain improvementsvinthe form, construction and arrangement ofthe several parts, where byy thel above named andI other objects-may be eHectively attained.

A practical embodiment ottheinvention is represented: in the accompanying drawings showing a ferry-boat, in which drawings Fig. 1- represents a side elevation of the vessel, with; the superstructure in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 represents a bottom plan viewl of the same;

Fig. 3 represents a transverse' section taken in the plane of the line III-III of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 represents atransverse section' taken in the plane of theline IV-TV of.` Fig. 1,

looking'in the direction ofthe-arrows.-

Fig. 5y represents atransverse section-taken inithe plane` of.' the line- VL-V ofiy Fig. 17,' lookingfv the. direction roty the varrov`vs.

sei-iai No. 636,424.

The main hull Lot the vessel is represented by 1, and it will be observed that, in plan view, the hull has substantially straight sides, and full, rounded ends.

In side elevation, the. ends of the hull are generously curved, and the bottom is very nearly straight or flat.

SO, in cross section, the bottom of the ves sel is nearly straight and cants upwardly from its longitudinal center at a very slight angle. The bil'ges are well rounded, and the sides are almost straight, but flare outwardly to a slight extent.

The result of this formation of the parts is that the main hull 1,` as a whole, is well and fully rounded at both ends but substantially fiat intermediate its ends, so that by far the greater part of the displacement takes place at or near the surface of the water. This provides a hull of very great stability so that when, for instance, it is embodied in a ferryboat, trucks or other vehicles ot great weight may pass onto the vessel 'trom the dock without causing any substantial downward' movement of that portion of the hull, thereby substantially preserving the level ot the boat with the dock, which is a very desirable feature.

Another result iiowing from the structure described is that the vessel, when encountering ice, will, in effect, slide up onto the same and break the ice by bearing down upon it. This is much more eifective than attempting to break up the ice by plowing directly into it, and renders the vessel exceedingly efficient under the supposed conditions. v A further advantage of this form of hull is that the cargo holds are substantially rectangular, are relatively shallow, and may be'made very easy of access. Thus, the vessel, when used as a cargo carrier, may be loaded and unloaded with great rapidity and with Va-minimum of hoist. It will also be seen that' the cargo carrying capacity is very great for a vessel of any given dimensions, and that it is not necessary to exercise care in balancing the loading operations on both sides'in order to prevent a dangerous list of the vessel.

0n the bottom of the main hull 1, there is located a hollow substructure 2, which may conveniently be called a iin. This in2 may be built right into the framing ofthe mam hull 1, in a manner thatl will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art, as also is themanner of framing and constructing;

the main hull portion 1. It may be said, at this point, that I prefer to use steel frames or ribs 3 in the main hull, together with deck beams t and flooring members 5. Suitable struts or ties 6 may be employed in bracing the parts just named. The fin 2 may also preferably be composed of steel ribs 7 and a kelson 8. The skin of the vessel is preferably composed of steel plates, riveted, or otherwise suitably fastened, to the frames-` By reference to the drawings, it will be seen that the iin 2 is practically centrally located, both longitudinally and laterally considered, on the main hull 1, and that it is very long and slender so as to have a fine stream-line contour.

I have found it advantageous not to have the iin 2 substantially more than half the length of the main hull 1, and it is also desirable that its width should be not more than approximately one-eighth of its length.

The sides of the iin, in plan view, are substantially straight, and both ends taper off with gentle curves into very finely drawn portions.

In cross section also, the main body portion of the fin has substantially straight sides, which gradually merge into curves that meet at the bottom thereof.

The iin should be of strong construction so as to be able to support the entire hull and superstructure of the vessel out of water.

In the iin 2 is mounted the propeller shaft 9, and it will be observed that the said shaft is mounted horizontally so as to be parallel to the longitudinal center line of the vessel. The fin may also house suitable power mechanism, such for instance, as an electric motor 10 which may, if desired, get its power from a suitable generator driven by a pair of oil engines 11, that are arranged te exhaust through pipes 12 leading outboard at the sides of the vessel, thereby eliminating the necessity of any smokestack. `While I have shown and described a combined oil engine and electric drive for the vessel, it will be understood that any suitable source of power may be employed and mainly housed in the tin 2. The location of the mechanism in the lin not only greatly increases the cargo and deck space that is free for carrying purposes, but it substantially increases the stability of the vessel by lowering its center of gravity.` It is almost as though the hull had a heavy metallic keel, but, in the present case, the fin, while serving the purpose of a heavy keel, also functions actively toward the eificiency of the vessel. Even when light, this vessel is perfectly stable and seaworthy.

On each end of the shaft 9 where it protrudes from the fin 2, is mounted a screw propeller 13; and it will be seen that this location of the propellers laces them under the broad, substantially at bottom of the main hull 1 so that they will, 4at all times, work in solid water, and cannot suc-k air from the surface. This arrangement of the propellers, in connection with the location and shape of the fm 2 permits each propeller to advance in solid water and to thrust substantially solid water backward from itself, so that boththe pull and push of each propeller take place under conditions best designed for efliciency. Whichever may be the forward propeller, according to the direction of movement of the vessel, thrusts the water backwardly from itself toward thc other propeller but, owing to the very narrow stream-line contour of the tin 2, the said water is not broken up to any substantial extent, and the rear propeller may do its work in solid water without being injuriously affected by the activity of the forward propeller. The broad flat bottom of the hull immediately above the propellers also prevents 'the water thrown by the propellers from rising to any substantial extent, and thereby contributes to the operation of the propellers in solid banks of water, thus obtaining maximum thrust. In fact, the propellers act substantially in the same manner as perfect pumps, drawing solid water from one direction and thrusting it in the opposite direction against a bank of solid water without any opportunity for the water to escape until substantially the full energy of the propelling power has been converted into thrust, and without any opportunity for air to enter and thereby reduce the power of the pull and push vexerted by the propellers. This location also permits the use of propellers of small diameter driven at relatively high rotative speeds, which obtains efficiency from the source of power. Furthermore, with the propellers in this position, there is no opportunity for racing when the vessel pitches. Under all circumstances, the resistance to the propeller drive is substantially the same, so that the customary vibration, with its consequent annoyance and wear and tear, is practically eliminated. The horizontal mounting of the shaft 9 provides for av straight line drive and causes the propellers` to act as true screws. f

Shoes 14 project from the bottom of the iin 2 toward each end of the vessel and serve as bottom bearings for pintles 15 that pass up into the main hull 1, in a well understood manner. On the pintles 15 are mounted rudders 16 which project slightly inwardly from the pintles so as to balance themselves. These rudders also operate in solid water, owing to their location; and the fact that they are directly in line with the propellers enables them to be continuously surrounded by water thrust toward them by the propellers, so that they are not affected by the side swash of the sea or by Utl movements of the vessel in the Water. Their construction and location, With respect to the hull, the iin, and the propellers, enables them to be made small in area, easy to handle and eiiicient in operation. The customary strains undergone by rudders and steering gear, are reduced to a minimum.

The fin 2 is not only of' suiicient depth to enable Vit to receive a substantial portion of the power mechanism, but it also serves as a protection for the propellers and rudders in case of grounding, While the shoes 14 projecting from the fin 2 prevent logs or other floating or partially submerged dbris from entering between the propellers and rudders and causing damage.

The fin 2 serves as a keel for the vessel, to keep it from drifting sideways under the influence of the Wind, and to enable the vessel to be maneuvered with ease in any conditions of Wind or tide. The fact that the fin is substantially intermediate the ends of the main hull permits rapid turning in either direction and under all conditions; while the fact that the n is considerably shorter than the main hull lends a capacity for rapidity in turning movements and for complete turning Within a slnall space, that cannot be approached in a vessel of ordinary construction.

The superstructure of the vessel is indicated in dotted lines, and it is not important to describe the same otherwise than to note that the portions 17 'at the sides may be employed as passenger cabins, thereby leaving a large open deck space 18 Which may be divided into aisles for numerous rows of vehicles. It Will be noted that the deck space for vehicles is not obstructed by any engine room.

I have felt compelled to dwell at some length on the practical features residing in the construction herein shown and described for the reason that, While some of the elements have been embodied in my previous patents, the particular combination of elements and their relative form and arrangement impart to the herein disclosed hull very particular and substantial merits not heretofore attained in the double ended type of craft.

It Will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except as they may be included in the claim.

What I claim is:

A double-ended vessel comprising, a main hull, a iin on the hull adapted to contain propelling mechanism, said hull having its ends Well rounded in cross section and its bottom substantially Hat, a propeller at each end of the fin, and a rudder adjacent each propeller, both the propellers and rudders being located under the substantially flat bottom of the hull.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 27th day of April 1923.

SAMUEL GOLDEN. 

